With 2014 fading to black, we are each of us another year older and wiser. Well, older, without a doubt. At Bespoke we tend to spend most of the year marching ahead, striving, growing, and eating too much Gung-Ho! Pizza. But as Walter Scott once said, “Look back, and smile on perils past…” (thanks, Brainyquote). So we’ve taken a calm moment to reflect on what was, for us, the year that was… 2014.
January – Beijing Welcomes You, Visa Free!
2014 kicked off with a first on the 1st: 72 hours visa-free travel to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. (You can have serious fun here in 72 hours, btw – here’s how). A fitting gift as China welcomed in the Year of the Horse in a blaze of pyrotechnics, despite official threats that fireworks might be cancelled altogether for air quality reasons.
February – Katy Perry Roars Into Town
Bespoke had the pleasure of escorting pop superstar Katy Perry to the Great Wall as well as on our Hidden Hutong Boutiques Tour. ‘Sleb goss: it was around the time of promoting her album Prism, about her breakup with ex-hubby Russell Brand, and Katy wasted no time in giving our shopping expert a grilling on her own love life. A problem shared is a problem halved, Ms Perry! (Well, maybe not quite halved.)
March – Badabing in the Jing
A New York icon opened in China’s capital – well duh it’s The Waldorf Astoria, and she is truly a grand dame. See what we thought about the hotel at the time here. A mile or so north, long-threatened renovations began to the hutong neighbourhood around the historic Drum and Bell Towers. Collective gulp, followed by sigh of relief (see September).
April – Here’s Johnny!
Another month, another A-lister. This time, it was Johnny Depp who elected to make use of Bespoke Beijing. Your blogger would love to say more but being one of the few males in the company he had to hold the fort in the office while EVERYONE ELSE got to meet Johnny. Humph. Meanwhile, a darkness is gathering in the hutongs…
May – The Night Is Dark And Full Of Shadows
After almost a century, the Banner Watchmen were once again patrolling the alleyways of Beijing after dark! A collaboration between Bespoke Beijing and Beijing Postcards, our latest walking tour The Nightwatch was a sold-out hit (and still available as a private tour). Tourists were also once again patrolling Simatai after one of the most dramatic stretches of Great Wall reopened to the public. Sweating buckets while they did so, surely – with unseasonable temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, Beijing in May was almost hot enough to melt the faces of Lady Gaga, Daniel Craig and the Queen of England. Nope, not more Bespoke VIPs; attractions at the first ever Madam Tussauds Beijing.
June – We Are The Champions
June ushered in red carpet season for Bespoke. Tripadvisor awards us with a Certificate of Excellence for our five star customer satisfaction, and we win a nomination for “Greatest Innovation / Disruption” at the LE Miami Awards for our Beijing Time Chase. (Woop!).
July – Tacos And Samba
In July we welcomed the return of Taco Bar, because, well, it’s July in Beijing and not much else happens. That said, they do make exceedingly good tacos. And what’s more (tenuous link alert), Mexico make a strong showing in the World Cup in Brazil, with Beijing getting as football-mad as ever despite most matches being televised in the middle of the night.
August – Ice Bucket Beijing
Beijing was feeling hot hot hot, so nothing was going stop the Ice Bucket Challenge from taking hold. Not even citizens of drought-stricken Henan province, who did their best to pour cold water on the Facebook craze. Figuratively speaking.
September – Bespoke Shanghai
September 2014 was a landmark month for our young travel company, because we expanded into (the) Paris (of the East) – Shanghai! Bespoke Shanghai offices were powered up and online, and we hosted our first satisfied customers with a range of all-new Signature Experiences and products. Back in the capital, Beijing gets its very first bar dedicated to that most potent of liquors baijiu, and the Drum Tower area unveils its revamp. Phew, the surrounding hutongs have mostly been spared the wrecking ball.
October – APEC Party
Obama, Putin and a host of other global VIPs posed for the cameras in traditional Chinese dress as the APEC party came to Beijing. (Not our guests, but what if they were?) Obama reaches a landmark carbon emissions deal with Xi Jinping; meanwhile, the skies are gloriously clear as factories power down and Beijingers take advantage of an impromptu five-day holiday. More good news for China-US relations, as Mark Zuckerberg wowed his hosts at Tsinghua University by conducting a 30-minute Q&A session in Mandarin. But we’re not expecting Facebook to be unblocked any time soon.
November– Death Of A Dynasty
November 5 marked exactly 90 years since the ‘Boy Emperor’ Puyi was booted out of the Forbidden City, an event that formed the basis of our latest Forbidden City tour, From Dynasty to Republic. And it wasn’t the only fun we were having in the Forbidden City. Nearby a palace of a different kind opened – the sass-tastic W Hotel Chang’an cut the ribbon in a whirl of giant glitter balls and jellybeans.
December – Another Year Over…
And so we come to the end of 2014, with news that the price of public transport in Beijing will rise at the end of the year (from 2 to 3 RMB on the subway and the introduction of distance fares). It still remains one of the cheapest networks in the world, mind you. Yet another anomaly in this developed-yet-developing, ever-changing and frankly bonkers city we call home. Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2015!
About the author: Tom O’Malley is Propaganda Secretary at Bespoke Beijing. A lifestyle journalist, guidebook author, glutton and bon vivant, Tom is a tireless crusader for fine food, hospitality and tourist experiences in China’s capital.